Endocrine Abstracts

By Galen the pituitary was thought to be the ‘exhaust pipe’ of the brain producing phlegm. More recently it was the conductor of the endocrine orchestra but we now know that for the most part the pituitary itself is conducted by the hypothalamus, the hormones of which gave some of their discoverers the Nobel Prize (1977).Pituitary disease is much commoner than was thought previously. In Oxford, we have the good fortune to have large numbers of ...

J Wass, Department of Endocrinology, OCDEM, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK AbstractJohn Wass is the Professor of Endocrinology at Oxford University and Head of the Department of Endocrinology at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital Oxford, UK. He qualified at Guy’s in 1971 and did his endocrine training at Bart’s. He got his MD from the University of London in 1980....

We have audited control of acromegaly in a specialist endocrine unit in Oxford now that this should usually obtainable. We have 240 patients under active surveillance, seen annually since diagnosis. Data from 115 of these seen in the last year have been used for this analysis.Methods: We grouped patients according to whether they were controlled in either or both IGF1 and GH or uncontrolled. Controlled IGF1 was defined according to age and sex and GH was...

Background: A variety of preparations for testosterone replacement therapy are currently available. Testogel, a transdermal gel, is widely used and considered one of the most convenient. However, a wide variation in the increment of serum testosterone two hours after its application has been reported.Aim: To investigate whether skin thickness affects the absorption of testogel.Subjects and methods: Fourteen patients (mean age 55.4 ...

Patients with chronic adrenal insufficiency (Addison’s) have mildly but significantly increased mortality from cardiovascular, malignant, and infectious diseases, predominantly pneumonia (Bergthorsdottir et al. 2006). Death from adrenal crisis is rare and largely preventable, but life-threatening adrenal crisis is a regular event in treated Addison’s with a previously reported annual incidence of 8% in the UK.We analysed the frequency of...

Primary adrenal insufficiency is a relatively rare endocrine condition requiring life-long glucocorticoid and mineralcorticoid replacement therapy. Unlike other endocrine conditions - such as diabetes - complications associated with early mortality are unusual and well-medicated patients can expect to have a normal life span. Nevertheless, patients typically report a variety of symptoms which reduce their quality of life.Data from an international survey...

VA Thornton-Jones, JAH Wass and HE Turner, OBJECTIVE: Despite a recommended injection frequency of 4 weekly(4w), prolonged duration of GH suppression has been observed in some patients following treatment with long-acting somatostatin analogues. The aim of our study was to perform a prospective systematic study to determine whether extending the interval between doses of Octreotide LAR (LAR) allows maintenance of 'safe' GH in selected patients with acromegaly.<p class="abs...

The UK Acromegaly Register was established in 1997 and holds data on patients with acromegaly from 17 centres in the UK. Of 1466 records, 431 (29%) were diagnosed pre-1984, 580 (40%) between 1984 and 1993 and 455 (31%) between 1994 and 2003.Surgery was and remains the most frequently applied primary treatment for acromegaly: 46% of cases pre-1984, 53% 1994-2003. The proportion treated by surgery alone has risen from 16% to 28% in 1994 to 2003 (P<1x10-...

Background: Octreotide LAR is used in the treatment of Acromegaly and is effective in reducing growth hormone levels in the majority of patients. With the introduction of the Endocrine Specialist Nurse it has been possible to take their care into the community.Method: A questionnaire was administered for both patients and practice nurses, to enable us to highlight the benefits and identify any problems. It was sent to 27 patients who receive Octreotide LAR and 27 GP Surger...

IntroductionThe use of a specific questionnaire to assess quality of life(QoL) in adults with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and its improvement after treatment requires further studies, in particular, their relationship to basal scores and Insulin like growth factor (IGF-1) values. We analysed our data to determine if the QoL as assessed by the QoL-AGHDA improved in adult GHD patients following growth hormone (GH) replacement.MethodsPatients referred with symptom...